35
PROCTOR | June 2017
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In wills
we trust.
Practitioners who responded to a survey request in QLS Update
last year may like to know the results. Annie Shum and Kieran
Tranter have the details.
There is huge potential to explore how the
profession as a whole can increase lawyer
satisfaction and quality of life through
better facilitation and acceptance of the
digital benefits of speed, connectivity,
flexibility and convenience. Since there is
evidence that reduced work dissatisfaction
increases employee productivity, proactive
legal workplaces may see the increase of
productivity in their employees in the future.
It is also important for legal workplaces to
not be completely swept up in the digital.
The survey found that lawyers still regard
face-to-face communication as more positive
for productivity and satisfaction than digital
communications. The average response was
that digital communications had a ‘neutral’
to ‘somewhat positive’ effect on both
productivity and satisfaction, while face-
to-face communications had a ‘somewhat
positive’ to a ‘positive’ effect on both
productivity and satisfaction.
Effective communication is complex, which
is why legal workplaces should encourage
the most appropriate mix of digital and
interpersonal interactions based on each
unique situation. One respondent captured
what many professionals know:
“Sometimes it is more productive to send a
quick email. At other times, long written email
exchanges are more time consuming and less
productive than having a short conversation,
whether in person or over the phone.”
Conclusion
The study shows that lawyers themselves
are not as opposed to digital technologies
as previously thought. The survey was only a
preliminary study and it shows the need for
more in-depth investigation of the relationship
between lawyers, digital technology and
satisfaction. In particular further studies
should focus on how the legal profession
and individual law firms can further innovate
with digital technologies to not just achieve
productivity gains, but also enhance lawyer
satisfaction and quality of life. As digital
technologies develop, the legal profession
should continue to consider the best way to
integrate these tools within existing practices.
Annie Shum is a law graduate at Mills Oakley. This
research formed the basis of her successful completion
of the thesis requirement for her first-class honours LLB
degree that was awarded in 2016. Dr Kieran Tranter is
an associate professor at Griffith Law School and the
Law Futures Centre at Griffith University.
Notes
1 Michael Kirby, ‘The Computer, the Individual
and the Law’, 21st Australian Legal Convention,
Hobart 7 July 1981.
2 Richard Susskind, Tomorrow’s Lawyers: An
Introduction to your Future (Oxford University
Press, 2013).
Technology